Some bills have to be taxed differently from everything else you sell that day: a tax-exempt guest, an export sale, or a customer covered by a local levy exemption. Tax rate on an open order charges that one bill at any rate from your list, and leaves your outlet default exactly as it was.
Before you start
You need at least two tax rates in Settings → Tax rates. With only one, the panel says "Only one tax rate is set up" and offers a Manage tax rates link. See Tax on your menu for creating rates and setting the outlet default.
Managers, admins and owners can do this. For other staff, tick Change order tax rate on a custom role.
The order must still be open. Once it is complete the rate is locked, because the tax has been reported against a printed receipt.
Change the rate on one bill
Open the order.
Tap the ⋯ button at the bottom right of the order panel to open More actions.
Choose Tax rate.
Pick a rate. The first row is Outlet default and carries a Default badge; the rate currently in force is already selected.
Tap Apply. The bill's tax and total update immediately.
What changes, and what does not
Items on the outlet default rate | Charged at the rate you picked |
Items set to a different taxable rate | Also charged at the rate you picked — the whole bill goes onto one rate |
Zero-rated and Exempt items | Unchanged; they stay at zero |
Service charges | A charge taxed at a specific rate follows the new rate. Charges set to no tax stay untaxed |
Items added afterwards | Charged at the new rate too, while it is in force |
Outlet default, rate list, other bills | Untouched |
Example. A ฿1,000 bill with a 10% service charge is ฿1,100 before tax. At a 7% default that is ฿77 tax and ฿1,177 total. Switch the order to Zero-rated and the tax becomes ฿0 and the total ฿1,100 — the service charge stays.
On the printed bill and receipt
When an order is on its own rate, the tax line names it — for example Tax: VAT 0% — so the figure is explainable to the guest and to your accountant. A bill on the outlet default keeps the plain Tax label. Tax invoices are unaffected: see Full Tax Invoices.
Reset to the outlet default
Open More actions → Tax rate again, choose the Outlet default row and tap Apply. Every line returns to its own rate and the bill is taxed normally again.
Where it is recorded
Both directions are written to the order's history as Tax rate changed and Tax rate reset to default, with the rate before and after and the tax figure either side — see Order Action Log.
FAQ
Does this change my outlet's tax rate? No. It applies to that one order only.
Can I set a rate for part of a bill? No — the whole bill goes onto one rate. To keep an item permanently on its own rate, set the rate on the menu item instead.
What happens to a zero-rated item on a bill I moved to 7%? It stays at zero. Zero-rated and exempt items never follow the order's rate.
Can staff do this? Only with the Change order tax rate permission. Managers and above have it by default.